The Great Divides
When your brain and spinal cord need backup, they call in this system that connects them to the rest of the body.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
This type of glial cell in the CNS is the star when it comes to forming the blood-brain barrier.
What is an astrocyte?
These PNS glial cells wrap around axons to form myelin.
What are Schwann cells?
Like a puffy winter coat, this insulating layer around the axon allows all ion movements across the cell membrane.
What is myelin sheath?
This neurotransmitter is the natural painkiller responsible for the "runner's high."
What are endorphins?
This division of the autonomic nervous system kicks in when Dr. Smith is being chased by a bear and he runs away, leaving one of us to get eaten.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
These immune-like glial cells clean up debris in the CNS.
What are microglia?
These bundles of joy are the white matter of the PNS.
What are nerves?
Myelinated axons are like express trains, thanks to this “hopping” method of conduction.
What is saltatory conduction?
This jack-of-all trades neurotransmitter is important for lifting heavy at the gym and "rest and digesting" afterwords.
What is acetylcholine?
This division of the nervous system runs in the background, controlling your heartbeat and respirations.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
This is a bundle of axons in the brain, brainstem or spinal cord.
What is a tract?
These are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the PNS.
What are ganglia?
These gaps in the myelin sheath are where the action really happens.
What are nodes of Ranvier?
With one axon and many dendrites, this type of neuron is the real social butterfly of the nervous system.
What is a multipolar neuron?
This division of the nervous system enables you to skip out of Ahlberg Hall after acing your next exam.
What is the somatic nervous system?
These clusters of cell bodies make up grey matter in the CNS.
What are nuclei?
These cells glia-fully provide love and support for the neurons in the PNS.
What are satellite cells?
Increasing these three things lead to faster axon conduction speed.
What are temperature, myelination and diameter?
When stress hits and you need to focus, this chemical says “nore excuses!” and gets your sympathetic system going.
What is epinephrine?
Another name for the sensory division of the PNS, which conducts action potentials from sensory receptors to the CNS.
What is afferent division?
The name is a mouthful but these myelin sheath creators in the CNS are worth it.
What are oligodendrocytes?
These motor neurons are found outside of the central nervous system.
What are lower motor neurons?
In this slower type of nerve signal conduction, the impulse travels step-by-step along the axon.
What is continuous conduction?
This type of neuron is found in the spinal cord.
What is a unipolar neuron?